First Presents Opened

We have the most fun in December. We have several family traditions some are new and some we just started. Our newest this year is Rudy, the Elf on the Shelf. The girls loved coming in every morning asking where Rudy was and searching the house for him. We also did the Advent Tree and Kylee really got it this year and could tell lots of stories about the Bible leading up to Jesus birth. We continued with the Chocolate countdown from my mom each morning. We also made a Gingerbread house that is never beautiful but oh so fun for the girls.
Another thing is we open up one special gift from Charley and I to the girls and this year it was a Wii for Kylee and a Dollhouse for Katie. To say they were both thrilled is an understatement. They also get each other a gift and something for me and Charley. I especially loved my snuggie!! We then went and hooked up the Wii and played games for a while. There will be lots of family fun with this in the future!

Kylee's Christmas Party

I feel like we partied and celebrated tons before Christmas. This is Kylee's class Christmas party. She had fun. They had pizza and fruit. They played games and did crafts. My favorite is that instead of a book or toy exchange they collected toys for the Community Storehouse. I love this tradition and the kids really enjoy doing it. Kylee is very into picking out the toy for it. The teacher gift was a wreath with little Christmas ornaments the kids signed their names on and a class picture in the middle. Mrs. Word really liked it a lot!

Charley Ran the Rock again!

Charley ran the White Rock Half again this year and he did great. I was so proud of him. He dropped his time 17 minutes. I was so nervous because I knew what time he wanted so I was watching the whole time as the pacers came by. At mile 9 I knew he was ahead of his time and I was cheering even though he was walking. We met my sister and Amber and her girls. It was fun. The girls made signs and watched for their daddies to run by. The weather was cooler and damp this year. After all the training I was ready for the race to be here so we could have a break from training but we all loved watching Charley do something he enjoys and doing a great job! Way to Go Daddy!!

Gymnastics Program

Kylee participated in her gymnastics winter program. They performed a vault routine, bars, floor, and beam routine. They got scored on their performance and received medals at the end. She had a blast doing it. They had to perform in front of people and do the proper salutes. I was proud of her for not being shy and really trying hard.

Happy Birthday Jesus Party

We had the annual Happy Birthday Jesus Party! at The Russells house. It was a fun way to celebrate the real meaning of Christmas. Katie went dressed as Mary and brought Baby Jesus with her. We ate lunch, reenacted the story of Jesus birth, made a craft, and had birthday cake. We even sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. I love that this is important and teaching my kids at an early age about Jesus. Kylee missed this year for the first time because of school.

Kylee Goes Caroling

Kylee went Christmas caroling with her Girl Scout Troop. This was Kylee's first time to go caroling and I am glad she had the opportunity to do it.